Film Poetics
Summary The twentieth-century, a time of innovation, is when many new methods of communication sparked the world. During this era, film was adapted and became a new medium to communicate ideas to the world. Through the use of film, children, teenagers, and adults have been exposed to various literary elements and astonishing information. Even though many film viewers enjoy watching their favorite movies, they rarely realize that many of these movies include or were inspired from poetry. Poetry and film go hand in hand, these two forms of art are used to inspire one another and help create a field that almost always goes unnoticed, Film Poetics. Many great films such as Mulan, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Dead Poets Society, Pinero, and The Outsiders among other films, have been box office hits but its audience was not told that they were exposed to poetry within the film or in some cases that poetry inspired the making of these films. Finding out that poetry has influenced the making of these movies would result in shock to many of the film-viewers, despite having watched their favorite movie and failing to realize that poetry was interwoven into it. Importance of Research and Findings Researching how poetry makes its way into film is an interesting research topic because it allows for one to be enriched with two constantly changing arts. Poetry is very influential and does a great job at going unnoticed through the lives of many people. Piñero: ' The film was inspired and based of Miguel Piñero's life. Piñero is regarded as an urban poet and pre-cursor to rap and hip-hop. The film depicts Piñero's lifestyle and fame after serving time at Sing Sing Prison and creating his recognized play Short Eyes. '''Dead Poets Society: ' Not only is the film inspired by actual events by the writer, Tom Schulma, but the film portrays the teaching approach the instructor takes to academics, life decisions, and life through poetry. The protagonist, John Keating, played by Robin Williams, references many well-known poets throughout the films plot. The films goal is to not only portray the importance of poetry in the lives of young adults but also to encourage them to create a voice through poetry. In essence, poetry is the moving force behind the film itself, not to say that having poetry and film together causes many viewers to relate. 'The Nightmare Before Christmas: ' The film was originally inspired by a poem that Tim Burton wrote while working for Disney Studios. At the time the poem was not taken seriously and was seen as a potential short film for the future. After eight years of lobbying and working on the poem, the film was finally considered for development by Disney. The film was considered a “revolutionary film” by film critic Roger Ebert, it was criticized yet placed in the same category as the Star Wars films because of the its stunning visual effects. The film did not only evolve from a poem into film, but resulted in a stop motion-picture musical film. Unfortunately, not many viewers are aware that the highly regarded film is nothing but poetry in motion. It is a rare thing to see a film evolve from a simple poem into an international phenomena. The Nightmare Before Christmas has since inspired many a people from singers, film makers, and artist; all through the power of words intertwined in a beautiful poem. Tim Burton has made other musicals and stop motion films filled with his ingenious way of reciting poetry through music and visual imagery. 'Mulan: ' The film Mulan was the first animated Disney film that did not incorporate the blonde princess, but rather a young girl that poses as a man to take the place of her father during the draft. She proves to herself by breaking the stereotype that the army is a place for a women and that women should be respected and not faced with sexism. Not only is Mulan responsible for fighting in a war against the Huns, she is ultimately the soldier that saves China. '''Common Concept of Film and Poetry What is film? Simply, it is a series of scenes playing on a screen with sound and music. This has gone to evolve to recording in 4K, 3D image rendering, and so many more recording techniques, but in essence a film is a depiction of the film-makers idea. We can say that like poetry, film is used to express imagery by piecing together a series of scenes to better express the meaning the film-maker has intended through the film. The moment poetry and film meet they create and enhance both of these arts. Poetry is given life through images which help convey a deeper connection with both new and old audiences; while at the same time exposing more lives to poetry and subliminally have the audience take a piece of literature from a film. Films and Poetry Piñero: ''' Based on Miguel Piñero's Life '''Dead Poets Society: Poetry in Film The Nightmare Before Christmas: Tim Burton's Poem 'Mulan: ' Ode To Mulan . Bibliography Armour, Robert. "Poetry & Film for the Classroom."'' The English Journal (1977): 88-91. ''Dead Poets Society, Dir. Peter Weir. Prod. Tony Thomas. Buena Vista Pictures, 1989, Film. Leslie Bennets (June 18, 1988). "Miguel Pinero, Whose Plays Dealt With Life in Prison, Is Dead at 41". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-26. Mulan, Dir. Tony Bancroft & Barry Cook. Buena Vista Pictures, 1998, Film. The Nightmare Before Christmas, Dir. Henry Selick. Prod. Tim Burton. Buena Vista Pictures, 1992, Film.